Minor Plumbing Repairs

With Handyman Assist, tap repairs, blocked wastes or even overflowing toilets are just a phone call away from a permanent fix.

Tap repairs or a new tap washer could save you hundreds of dollars.

Dripping taps are the number one cause of water wastage in Australia.

That steady dripping of a tap or two can also be enough to keep some people awake at night. A dripping tap can waste 24,000 litres of water a year! So why not save your time and money? By having your tap repairs regularly maintained by Handyman Assist as soon as possible.

If your taps are dripping, it is best to have them serviced or even replaced quickly. Any dripping indicates that some part of the tap has become old and worn. And the leak could get much worse very quickly.

Leaking or dripping taps can also cost you money. The amount of water lost can add up considerably over a period of time. And if you’re at the stage where you’re turning off the tap ever more tightly, you are just delaying the inevitable. At this stage the washer tap is just being further damaged by over tightening.

SO WHAT CAUSES TAPS TO LEAK?

Taps with washers

Compared to ceramic disc taps, taps with washers are the most likely to leak. Over time, the washer becomes worn as it acts as a ‘seal’ to stop the flow of water. The washer will eventually perish from being pushed tighter and tighter into the ‘seat’ of the tap to stop water flow.

When changing your tap washers, we will also recommend a full service of your taps at the same time. This includes ‘re-seating’ the tap body, replacing o-rings to the tap spindle and re-greasing all of the tap’s moving parts.

In some rare cases, it is economically more beneficial to just replace the entire tap if it is too old and beyond repair. This is something we can also determine for you.

Ceramic disc taps

These will take a lot longer than washer based taps to leak. They will however eventually leak due to scarring on the disc faces. The ceramic discs will wear down after continued use and internal corrosion. Inevitably the cartridge holding the discs will need to be replaced. This is done by removing the old cartridge sited below the tap handle and installing new ones in their place.

Monobloc Mixer taps

These will leak due to the disc cartridge most of the time. The cartridge is located at the top of the tap, just under the tap head. The entire cartridge will need to be removed and replaced with a new one. With some models of taps it is recommended to replace the entire mixer tap. As model specific cartridges can be quite expensive and hard to source.

Another common fault with these taps is they can leak from the body. Especially with taps with a movable spout. Repairs to these issues can mean having to remove and dismantle the whole tap in order to replace ‘O” rings to the moving parts. Depending on how long the leak has been present, corrosion to the tap body can also occur. This could suggest that your entire tap may be close to the end of its life. Replacing it could now be cheaper in the long run.

CAUTION…

These days, with the rise in the popularity of DIY (and lazy plumbers), most taps are now connected to the water supply with ‘flexible hoses’ below the sink.

Whenever you replace your taps, it is highly recommended that ALL these flexible pipes are also replaced. Despite their hardy looking steel casings, the inside of these pipes is usually a rubber based composite. And rubber perishes!

Even by the manufacturers, it is recommended that these pipes should be replaced every 5 years. Because under the constant strain of pressurised water and variable temperatures, they can quite easily perish and have even been known to burst when they get too old.

If you would like any tap repairs, maybe a new set of taps for your bathroom, or even a new mixer for the kitchen sink, Handyman Assist can either update or supply and install suitable replacements for these piping options.

Help me to help you

If you are looking for a specific type or look for your tapware, it is best you source the taps yourself. This avoids us ordering a tap set you are not happy with.

But be sure to ask that I inspect first. That way, we can give you any specific dimensions and help suggest the types of taps that would best be suitable.

After all, there is nothing worse than paying for a tap that won’t fit.

Other plumbing services I can perform without the need for a licence…

Servicing Traps

Water Filters

Tap Servicing (washers)

Shower Head Exchanges

Tap Head Exchanges

Kitchen Appliance Installation

Kitchen Sink Exchanges

Burst Pipes

Tap Exchanges

Bathroom Sanitary Ware Exchanges

Gutters & Downspouts

Garden Hose Tap Installation

Rainwater Storage Solutions

Land Drainage Installation

Manhole Covers & Grating Replacement

Servicing Blocked Toilets and Waste Pipes

Please note… That even though I am more than capable of doing so, I cannot responsibly exchange hot water storage tanks for you. These are a very expensive item to replace and without a recognised plumbing licence to back them up, any product guarantees (usually 5 to 7 years) would automatically be rendered void.

But having said that, if you ever need help finding a fully licenced and registered plumber or electrician, I can still point you in the right direction.